Can you discern a persons nature from the genre of classical music they like ?

[Gurn Blanston]

Because some guy's messages add anything to the conversations ?
To reassure Elgarian : I've had several conversations with him (not on this board), we have to deal with his usual obnoxious and contemptuous tone on several message boards (and I say "we" because I've talked with many people who feels the way as I do, meaning that some guy's behaviour is destructive in an insidious way, and that he polluates any thread he participes in), but he knows how to deal with moderation rules and never crosses any lines.
But he never left any message board : he is the one who makes people leave message boards. He doesn't care about how people reacts to his posts or how his posts are received. He just doesn't give a fuck. For him, it's just, as you rightfully quoted him, about "expressing opinions elegantly and eloquently", which says it all about how he considers internet message boards : nothing but a playground for his own ego.
This subject has been adressed many times to him : not only he didn't change his manners, he never even cared to answer, which is the ultimate proof of contempt, and, as a human being, I can simply not tolerate it.
You enjoy his company, fine, but I will not bother to answer any thread some guy is lurking in.
The moderators can erase my messages or even banish me if they want to. I have little interested in participating in a message board where people like him are allowed to go unnoticed, and even more where his kind of obviously contemptuous behaviour is encouraged.

So you have a history. Lovely. He has been here for years; if you have come here to warn us that he can be an asshole at times, save your breath; that boat sailed years ago. Anyone who cares to know it is already well aware. In fact, he frequently does add to the conversation, although often his opinions aren't congruent with those of the larger group. His motivations for holding those opinions or expressing them are far beyond anything I care to know.

Instead of worrying about it, move on and post about things you are interested in and don't engage with him. The world is full of assholes; don't add to the count, please.

GB

[Mr Bloom]

Instead of worrying about it,

Yes, I worry about human decency. If that makes me an "asshole", so be it. I also understand that is not the case of many people around here.
As a matter of fact, I didn't warn anyone about anything. People can make their own judgements. But some things need to be said.

[Gurn Blanston]

Yes, I worry about human decency. If that makes me an "asshole", so be it. I also understand that is not the case of many people around here.
As a matter of fact, I didn't warn anyone about anything. People can make their own judgements. But some things need to be said.

And now you've said them. Let's move along then.

[Florestan]

It depends. As you probably know here are as many natural numbers divisible by five as there are natural numbers, that is the infinites are of the same order. This can be "seen" by taking the unique mapping n -> 5n. But there are (infinitely) more real numbers than natural numbers.

Think of it this way: for each and every natural number not divisible by 5 there is an infinity of numbers divisible by 5. For instance: 13 is not divisible by 5, but multiply it by 5 and you get 65; then multiply 65 by 5 and you get 325: now multiply 325 by 5 and so on and so on and so on ad infinitum. So, the infinity of numbers divisible by 5 is an infinite order of magnitude larger than the infinity of numbers not divisible by 5.

I think with the main question one should distinguish between "discern a person's *nature* from their music preference" and "have statistical correlations between character traits and music preference".

Okay. Let´s put it this way:

Original question: Can you discern a person´s nature from the genre of classical music they like?


My answer is: No.
Your answer is...?

[some guy]

My answer is: No.
Your answer is...?

No as well.

[mc ukrneal]

Think of it this way: for each and every natural number not divisible by 5 there is an infinity of numbers divisible by 5. For instance: 13 is not divisible by 5, but multiply it by 5 and you get 65; then multiply 65 by 5 and you get 325: now multiply 325 by 5 and so on and so on and so on ad infinitum. So, the infinity of numbers divisible by 5 is an infinite order of magnitude larger than the infinity of numbers not divisible by 5.

Okay. Let´s put it this way:

Original question: Can you discern a person´s nature from the genre of classical music they like?


My answer is: No.
Your answer is...?

Yes.

[Mr Bloom]

And now you've said them. Let's move along then.

That was my point.

[Florestan]

Still, if there are such correlations, one will be right more often than not, when giving the stereotyped/predjudiced answer to the question how e.g. a friend of baroque music will be like with respect to some character traits. Because there is a statistical basis for that stereotype.

Okay again. Please give me a stereotyped/prejudiced/statistically based answer: what are the character traits most likely to be associated with a friend of Baroque music?

[Florestan]

Can you discern a person´s nature from the genre of classical music they like?


My answer is: No.
Your answer is...?

Yes.

Okay. Next question for you, Neal: a person likes mostly Baroque music. What is his nature?

[Gurn Blanston]

Okay. Next question for you, Neal: a person likes mostly Baroque music. What is his nature?

At the very best, one could only make a few generalizations, which in the event, may or may not be accurate.

My answer is no. I would like it to be yes, then I could make a few generalized statements about someone, but seriously, my favorite genre is Classic Era chamber music. Make something of that! 

[James]

Okay again. Please give me a stereotyped/prejudiced/statistically based answer: what are the character traits most likely to be associated with a friend of Baroque music?

[...]

Okay. Next question for you, Neal: a person likes mostly Baroque music. What is his nature?

Approaching the question in this way is absolutely daft. First off the wording of the question itself should be broadened, not confined or precise .. but I get the gist of what the inquiry was meaning. And tastes and preferences do in fact tell us something about ourselves.

Tell me .. what attracts you to the music that you like? Whether it was fleeting or remaining ..

Once you start going deeper with questions like these .. the who, the why, the how, the what, the when, the where etc. then you will find your answer .. and in the process you'll find out something about yourself. Not the entire picture, but something .. and it will be personalized.

[Florestan]

In answering the question Can you discern a persons nature from the genre of classical music they like?

you first say this

Yes .. what a person likes or consumes can tell us things about that person. Ditto the artists themselves.

then you say this

Approaching the question in this way is absolutely daft. First off the wording of the question itself should be broadened, not confined or precise ..

Can you please make up your mind?

[James]

In answering the question Can you discern a persons nature from the genre of classical music they like?

you first say this

then you say this

Can you please make up your mind?

Let me clarify. I read the question as broad to begin with, I wasn't hinged on it's exact wording .. so my answer, reasoning & experience is consistent.

[mc ukrneal]

Okay. Next question for you, Neal: a person likes mostly Baroque music. What is his nature?

I already answered this long ago. In any case, on its own, an answer will not help one way or another. But based on research and the predictability of most people, it seems logical and reasonable that we can/will be able to.

[Florestan]

I already answered this long ago.

No, you didn´t, but if you gave a link to your answer I would gladly stand corrected.

[Florestan]

Let me clarify. I read the question as broad to begin with, I wasn't hinged on it's exact wording .. so my answer, reasoning & experience is consistent.

Bottom line, can you, based on reasoning, experience, statistics and/or whatevere else you like, answer the question What is the nature of a person who likes mostly Baroque? If yes, please give the answer, if no please say so.

[Jo498]

This is OT, but you can look the infinity stuff up in any advanced math book or wikipedia. Natural numbers, any infinite subset of them (like 5n) and also the rational numbers are all of the same "order of infinity", that is "countable" or in fancy notation "aleph zero".

As for the question with the person's "nature", my answer is also no. But if the question is put in the weaker way I gave above, my answer is "probably to some extent". I do not think that such preferences are totally random in correlation with other preferences. This seems obvious from "subcultures" or "milieus" (see the (admittedly extreme) example with the gays in ballett above). And I'd also expect some correlations with personality traits.

For the person who likes mainly Baroque music, there are of course still several options. It's a 150 years of very diverse music. Someone who mainly listens to Vivaldi concertos might treat them as "light" and diverting music but I would not suspect this from one immersing himself in the church music of Schuetz or Bach.
Still, I'd probably take a bet that a friend of baroque music  would rate in the "big 5 personality as below (plus, minus, o = neutral).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits#Conscientiousness
(look there for example questions about what is meant with those traits)

openness ++
conscientiousness ++
extraversion -
agreeableness +
neuroticism o

(in the last one a "-" is more likely, but I simply do not know)

At least in Europe I'd also bet that s/he is more likely to be religious/churchy and more likely to have an interest in history than the average person.
This may sound stereotyped, but that was precisely the point

[Florestan]

I'd probably take a bet that a friend of baroque music  would rate in the "big 5 personality as below (plus, minus, o = neutral).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits#Conscientiousness

openness ++
conscientiousness ++
extraversion -
agreeableness +
neuroticism o

At least in Europe I'd also bet that s/he is more likely to be religious/churchy and more likely to have an interest in history than the average person.
This may sound stereotyped, but that was precisely the point

Finally, an answer! Thank you very much!

[James]

Bottom line, can you, based on reasoning, experience, statistics and/or whatever else you like, answer the question What is the nature of a person who likes mostly Baroque? If yes, please give the answer, if no please say so.

Again, you approach it in a totally daft manner, and with a restricted wording/approach.  The question is more along the lines of .. why do we like what we like, and what does it say about us? ("our nature", character, personality, head-space etc.) ..

The answer is of course it can be apart of our personal profile and say something about us to ourselves and to others.

[mc ukrneal]

No, you didn´t, but if you gave a link to your answer I would gladly stand corrected.

Reply 54.